May said the person who'd apparently run up more than $11,000 in purchases in just three days was pictured on the back of the Costco card she got in the mail.

"She maxed them all out, too, and they were all done in-store. None of this was done online," May said.

A woman in California had somehow gotten her Social Security number. Attorney General Mike DeWine said it was a classic case of identity theft.

"We get hundreds of calls in the attorney general's office about it," DeWine said. "So we set up this little section and they're, unfortunately, very busy."

Since the creation of a dedicated Identity Theft Unit back in August 2012, the attorney general's office has taken 413 complaints. Staffers work to get victims' lives back on track. In less than a year, they've settled $135,000 in fraudulent debt.

"We'll actually go around to various creditors or collection agencies or anyone else who might have those fraudulent accounts that we need to clear up for the individual," said Melissa Szozda, who coordinates the unit.

Staffers said they've seen it all. They're currently working the case of a 10-month-old adopted baby whose birth mother, investigators say, hijacked her child's Social Security number to pay her utility bills. The attorney general said his daughter has been victimized, too.

"No one's immune. We're all vulnerable, and we all need to be careful," DeWine said.

May said she's settled seven of the eight fraudulent accounts and turned all documents over to police. She says she'll pay $15 a month for the rest of her life so her credit stays locked, as she keeps her fingers crossed that her Social Security number stays out of the wrong hands.

"She has it, or she could sell it to somebody else," May said. "It's out there."

DeWine said a majority of identity theft cases are never prosecuted because it's often difficult to track down the thieves. He recommended prevention as the best approach.

There are several tips the Attorney General's office offers to keep your identity safe: